Hands in Art

Human hands are one of the most beautiful things to paint and draw. We've all heard it said that the eyes are a window to the soul, but for me, the hands are every bit a revelation of the soul's qualities. When one looks at a great dancer, horse rider, musician or pool player, to name a few examples, it's the feeling in the hands that are so noticeable. You could say that one's whole body reveals your soul and it would probably be a true statement, but the hands are a special part of that soul/body. 

Here are a few examples of hands from some of my paintings and drawings.

Official Ending to My Exhibition

 It's now the official ending to my exhibition titled Drawing on Light and Air. I say official because it's not the actual ending as I've been given an extra 4 weeks exhibition time! The works that sold will not be there but enough paintings were left over to make a substantial show. Here are some installation shots of the full exhibition.

Many thanks to Charles and Kate Nodrum and also to Kirsten Rann who made this exhibition so easy for me!

I love the display that each exhibiting artist gets whenever he or she has a show

The entrance to the Charles Nodrum Gallery gallery

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

At the Princess Theatre recently, a remarkable stage production of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was  presented by the Shake & Stir Theatre Company. The production values were incredible and from the opening moments of the play, the audience was gripped by an energy and an inventiveness that remained throughout the performance. 

Nelle Lee, co-artistic director, was responsible for this adaptation, directed by Nick Skubij and importantly, retained Mary Shelley's story rather than the Hollywood version which does not probe the philosophical complexities of the story or gives enough attention to the roles of women. 

Starring Darcy Brown, Tony Cogin, Nick James, Anna Lise Phillips, Jeremiah Wray and Chloe Zuel, all the actors played multiple rolls (except Jeremiah Wray who plays the creature) and they morphed into their different characters seamlessly and all of them were up to the challenge. 

The video projections, by Craig Wilkinson, added another dimension, literally, as they immersed the audience and the actors into environments that were extensions of what was happening on the stage. The technology was used with good judgement, not over relying on it to diminish the impressive stage designs by Josh McIntosh. Guy Webster contributed a stirring score which captured the various emotional and mood changes throughout the story.

There is a possibility it will be returning to Melbourne because it was only on for a week. Hopefully this will come to pass as this production is a must see and Melbournians deserve further opportunities to see it.

From left - Deborah Klein, Paul Compton, Evan Pearce, Shane Jones

The Creative Team

Chloe Zuel and Darcy Brown

Slava Gregorian at Leavers

I've always loved classical guitar and I try to see guitar performances whenever I can. I've seen Slava Gregorian play numerous times at the Melbourne Recital Centre and at the Art Gallery of Ballarat but he recently played in the regional town of Creswick, at Leavers Hotel. It's an intimate venue, as the pics show, and a perfect space for classical guitar to be heard as the instrument makes such an intimate sound.  

My partner, Deborah Klein, and I also had quite a nice meal there as well, so it made for a magical evening. 

All guitarists talk about the pieces they're about to play but Slava intersperses his introductions with funny comments as well. In a way that's a good thing because it often seems to me that classical music is often regarded as something ultra-serious and heavy when in reality it can be joyous and celebratory. If music is played by a musician who takes obvious pleasure in what he or she does, then it's easy to open one's mind and heart to it when it's introduced.

Photo credits -

1 & 4 - Shane Jones

 2 & 3 - Deborah Klein.